I have to agree with the other reviewer that this was an especially poor episode. I kind of knew that when I saw it only had one reviewer(2 now with mine ). Most episodes have at least 4 or 5 reviewers and this one was so bad and plain that nobody wanted to comment. The only interesting part was when Thad uncharacteristically stood up to, and fought those 2 Indians. Oh well maybe next time.
3 Reviews
Poor story and suspicious acting doomed this episode
kfo949412 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I have to say that this episode is one of the few shows from season 11 that did not have the entertainment value that we expected. In fact this is one of these episodes that we call a clunker. From suspicious acting to Indian names that are difficult to keep separated, it really never was interesting. It was like they needed an episode with Thad as the lead character and thought we throw in some Indian and makes a show. It did not work.
Making this as simple as I can, the episode begins with an Indian tribal council voting for the death of the former Chief named Two Bears. Two Bears has been accused of killing a man when they found his knife in the back of the dead man. So Two Bears daughter, Sarah, goes to Dodge to get 'white man's help'.
In Dodge, Matt and Festus are out trying to catch horse thieves, so Thad is the only one mind the place when Sarah rides into town. Thad feels sorry for Sarah and rides out to the Indian Reservation to see if he can help.
To make this very long story short, it seems that Two Bears has been set up by some of the younger Indians that want to rid the prairie of the white man. Matt and Thad figure this out and need to get back to the Indian village before the death sentence is carried out on Two Bears. To add suspense to the show, the death sentence will be carried out when the shadow falls below the rock in the death circle (something that was totally odd). We will learn that someone on the Indian council has a secret that he wants hidden.
The story gain no interest whatsoever. Perhaps a lot was due to the almost robotic acting given by many actors in the episode. I know I am going to make die-hard 'Gunsmoke' fans upset but Roger Ewing, as Thad, was not that good of an actor. He was saying the lines instead of acting the lines out. The casting of the Indian was another major blow to the episode. Noah Beery Jr (from the Rockford Files) as John Two-Bears is such a poor cast that it is laughable. The only bright spot was the beautiful France Nuyen as the Indian girl Sarah. When she was on the screen you just could not take your eyes off her.
With the suspicious acting and poor plot this episode never had a chance. It is one of the few shows, in the previous offerings, that was not entertaining in the least. But I guess every show has a clunker every now and then.
Making this as simple as I can, the episode begins with an Indian tribal council voting for the death of the former Chief named Two Bears. Two Bears has been accused of killing a man when they found his knife in the back of the dead man. So Two Bears daughter, Sarah, goes to Dodge to get 'white man's help'.
In Dodge, Matt and Festus are out trying to catch horse thieves, so Thad is the only one mind the place when Sarah rides into town. Thad feels sorry for Sarah and rides out to the Indian Reservation to see if he can help.
To make this very long story short, it seems that Two Bears has been set up by some of the younger Indians that want to rid the prairie of the white man. Matt and Thad figure this out and need to get back to the Indian village before the death sentence is carried out on Two Bears. To add suspense to the show, the death sentence will be carried out when the shadow falls below the rock in the death circle (something that was totally odd). We will learn that someone on the Indian council has a secret that he wants hidden.
The story gain no interest whatsoever. Perhaps a lot was due to the almost robotic acting given by many actors in the episode. I know I am going to make die-hard 'Gunsmoke' fans upset but Roger Ewing, as Thad, was not that good of an actor. He was saying the lines instead of acting the lines out. The casting of the Indian was another major blow to the episode. Noah Beery Jr (from the Rockford Files) as John Two-Bears is such a poor cast that it is laughable. The only bright spot was the beautiful France Nuyen as the Indian girl Sarah. When she was on the screen you just could not take your eyes off her.
With the suspicious acting and poor plot this episode never had a chance. It is one of the few shows, in the previous offerings, that was not entertaining in the least. But I guess every show has a clunker every now and then.
A Clash of Cultures
wdavidreynolds5 June 2024
An Osage council votes to sentence Chief John-Two-Bears to death after finding him guilty of murder. The chief's daughter, Sarah, knows her father is innocent, but women have no standing within the tribe. (It is interesting that Sarah has little regard for the council's authority in this matter regarding her father.) Two-Bears has accepted his fate, although he knows he is not guilty. He considers obeying the council's decision more important than his life.
Sarah travels to Dodge City out of desperation in the hopes of soliciting "white man's justice" in the situation with her father. She visits the Marshal's office where she encounters Thad Greenwood. Thad is minding the office while Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen are away investigating a recent rash of horse thefts. Thad returns to the Osage reservation with Sarah, despite Doc Adams's advice to stay out of the matter.
Thad's arrival on the reservation is seen as an unwelcome intrusion. Thad does not understand the actions of the Osage council, and he does not respect the limited autonomy the Osage are afforded. Elias Franklin, the U. S. government agent assigned to liaison with the Osage, finds Thad's approach frustrating and places Thad under arrest.
Eventually, Matt Dillon's investigation points to Osage involvement in the theft of the horses, which leads him to Franklin and Thad. Thad is released to the Marshal, and Matt and Thad continue to attempt to discover the link between the thefts and the internal situation with Two-Bears and the Osage council.
This story is a bit of a confusing mess, but it is ultimately a conflict between Osage factions. The older members of the tribe want to maintain peace with "the white man," while some of the younger members embrace revolution to restore what they consider the past power and prominence of the Osage. The situation in this story is complicated by the cultural differences that exist between the Osage and "the white man."
To confuse matters even more, the writers chose to introduce a sort-of love story between Sarah and Thad, although this is only minimally explored.
The casting of this episode is odd. Noah Berry Jr. Portrays John-Two-Bears and George Keymas plays one of the Osage known as Thunder Man. I am not sure who thought applying a ton of makeup and having those two veteran character actors fill American Indian roles was a good idea.
Syrian actor Michael Ansara is once again tapped to fill an American Indian role as the character Grey Horse. Fans of television Westerns will certainly recognize Ansara from his stint as the Apache Chiricahua Chief Cochise in the series Broken Arrow, and the Harvard-educated Apache U. S. Marshal Sam Burkhart character in two episodes of The Rifleman and the short-lived series Law of the Plainsman.
Ralph Moody, who was frequently cast in American Indian roles for some reason, plays the elder Osage Chief Joseph-Walks-In-Darkness.
French actress France Nuyen is Sarah. While she plays an American Indian in this story, she would return in Season 12 as an Asian character in the Gunfighter, R. I. P episode.
Another aspect to this episode that works against it is Roger Ewing's prominent role. This is the first episode since Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood's arrival in Dodge where Ewing is included as a central character, and his performance flounders. There is absolutely no chemistry between Nuyen and Ewing. Even Ewing's performance in the scenes with James Arness comes across as stiff and awkward.
"Honor Before Justice" is distinguished as - at least arguably - the worst episode of Season 11. The perplexing script, the curious casting, and the unusually poor performances fell short of what Gunsmoke fans had come to expect.
Sarah travels to Dodge City out of desperation in the hopes of soliciting "white man's justice" in the situation with her father. She visits the Marshal's office where she encounters Thad Greenwood. Thad is minding the office while Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen are away investigating a recent rash of horse thefts. Thad returns to the Osage reservation with Sarah, despite Doc Adams's advice to stay out of the matter.
Thad's arrival on the reservation is seen as an unwelcome intrusion. Thad does not understand the actions of the Osage council, and he does not respect the limited autonomy the Osage are afforded. Elias Franklin, the U. S. government agent assigned to liaison with the Osage, finds Thad's approach frustrating and places Thad under arrest.
Eventually, Matt Dillon's investigation points to Osage involvement in the theft of the horses, which leads him to Franklin and Thad. Thad is released to the Marshal, and Matt and Thad continue to attempt to discover the link between the thefts and the internal situation with Two-Bears and the Osage council.
This story is a bit of a confusing mess, but it is ultimately a conflict between Osage factions. The older members of the tribe want to maintain peace with "the white man," while some of the younger members embrace revolution to restore what they consider the past power and prominence of the Osage. The situation in this story is complicated by the cultural differences that exist between the Osage and "the white man."
To confuse matters even more, the writers chose to introduce a sort-of love story between Sarah and Thad, although this is only minimally explored.
The casting of this episode is odd. Noah Berry Jr. Portrays John-Two-Bears and George Keymas plays one of the Osage known as Thunder Man. I am not sure who thought applying a ton of makeup and having those two veteran character actors fill American Indian roles was a good idea.
Syrian actor Michael Ansara is once again tapped to fill an American Indian role as the character Grey Horse. Fans of television Westerns will certainly recognize Ansara from his stint as the Apache Chiricahua Chief Cochise in the series Broken Arrow, and the Harvard-educated Apache U. S. Marshal Sam Burkhart character in two episodes of The Rifleman and the short-lived series Law of the Plainsman.
Ralph Moody, who was frequently cast in American Indian roles for some reason, plays the elder Osage Chief Joseph-Walks-In-Darkness.
French actress France Nuyen is Sarah. While she plays an American Indian in this story, she would return in Season 12 as an Asian character in the Gunfighter, R. I. P episode.
Another aspect to this episode that works against it is Roger Ewing's prominent role. This is the first episode since Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood's arrival in Dodge where Ewing is included as a central character, and his performance flounders. There is absolutely no chemistry between Nuyen and Ewing. Even Ewing's performance in the scenes with James Arness comes across as stiff and awkward.
"Honor Before Justice" is distinguished as - at least arguably - the worst episode of Season 11. The perplexing script, the curious casting, and the unusually poor performances fell short of what Gunsmoke fans had come to expect.
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